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Maestro was launched in 1991, the same year when the World Wide Web was first introduced to the general public. It was the world’s first online point-of-sale debit network with a presence all over Europe. Today, there are more than 400 million such cards in circulation throughout the world.
 | |
| Payment Method | Debit and Prepaid Card |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1991 |
| Headquarters | New York, USA |
| Number of Countries | 90+ |
| Number of Merchants | 15 million+ |
| Parent Company | Mastercard |
Established in 1991, Maestro not only unlocked doors to effortless purchasing but also became a beacon of reliability in cash withdrawals and currency conversion across the global market.
They implemented Chip and PIN technology, a move that was innovative for its time and helped it swiftly find its footing in numerous markets worldwide. Back in 2002, the debit card brand Switch was brought into the Maestro ecosystem in the UK and the rest was history until 2023.
Deposits are instant so you can always have complete control of your bankroll. Depositing your funds might not cost anything but some banks and casinos will levy additional fees when using Maestro.
Withdrawals are the only downside to using Maestro from my experience. Although transaction times vary from bank to bank, withdrawals take between 3 to 7 days on average.
Today you can use the card in over 90 countries except some in Europe including the UK, where the debit cards have been discontinued. For this reason, you probably won’t be able to use the card to play at casinos in the UK but anything outside should be fair game.
With such a wide reach, it should come as no surprise that Maestro is accepted by almost all online casinos worth their salt. However, getting the card itself will be an issue as we discussed previously.
Maestro cards come with a unique PIN set by you, 3D Secure (3DS) authentication, and a magnetic chip. All this means that only authorized personnel will be able to use them.
I tried using their card in a few fast payout casinos in the UK but that didn’t seem to make much of a difference, at least in my case.
As a dedicated casino enthusiast, I find Maestro’s seamless, secure, and swift transactions incredibly accommodating. The universal acceptance across online casinos and the robust security protocols indeed make it a noteworthy option.
However, there are way too many hoops to jump through if you want to use a Maestro card in a UK casino. I would recommend exchanging it for a regular Mastercard debit card and using that instead.
